Losing its bite?: Exploring the vampire in pop culture
From Dracula to Twilight, the concept of the vampire is ubiquitous in modern pop culture, but is this classic character at risk of not being scary anymore?
The vampire is a well-known horror icon, often seen in decorations or costumes around Halloween, but behind this image lies a legacy of representing cultural fears, including homophobia and antisemitism.
The concept of the vampire has its roots in folk mythology, but its first appearance in English popular culture was in 1819 with John William Polidori's The Vampyre.
The question is: do modern portrayals of vampires continue this legacy, or subvert it?
Author's summary: Vampires are losing their scary image.